1987 Mountain Klein
Gary Klein pioneered the use of heat-treated aluminum tubing with thin walls and large diameters for road bikes in the 1970s while a student at MIT. He would start Klein Bicycles in the Bay Area before moving up to Chehalis, WA. Gary's road bikes would inspire Charlie Cunningham to build the world's first aluminum mountain bike, and in turn Charlie would strongly encourage Gary to build aluminum mountain bikes, which first occurred in 1985 with the release of the Mountain Klein. While Gary's company grew and his bikes became widely available, Charlie's bikes would continue to be made in very small numbers with very high price tags. In an odd twist, a fair number of Kleins would be built up by their owners to mimic the unobtainable Cunningham bikes by making use of a host of Wilderness Trail Bikes parts. This later Mountain Klein, distinguished by having rear derailleur cable routing that does not go through the chainstay, is a very complete example, with brakes, hubs, seatpost, headset, and bottom bracket all sourced from WTB. Of course, the fork and stem were made by WTB co-founder Steve Potts. Although the stout rear end with 1" square chainstays is rather harsh and overbuilt, the end result is a very nice handling bike often referred to as a Kleiningham.
The Build
Year: 1987
S/N: 2M AF 4 Frame: Mountain Klein Fork: Steve Potts Type II Stem: Steve Potts Headset: WTB / Chris King Grease Guard Bottom Bracket: Cartridge Bearing Grease Guard Handlebar: Specialized Alloy Bulge Shifters: Shimano XT M730 Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M730 Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M730 Brake Levers: Shimano Deore XT M730 Front Brake: WTB Speedmaster Rollercam Rear Brake: WTB Speedmaster Rollercam Crankset: Specialized Touring Chainrings: Specialized 24-36-48 Pedals: Suntour XC Compe w/ WTB Toeflips Hubs: Wilderness Trail Bikes Grease Guard Rims: Specialized GX23 Tires: Panaracer Timbuk II 2.0 Wheel QR: Specialized Seatpost: Wilderness Trail Bikes Fixed Angle Saddle: Specialized Lamba Seatpost QR: Suntour Grips: Magura Pow-R-Grip Chain: Sachs Powerglide Cogs: Shimano 600 Extras: Hite-Rite |
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